Do what you love, love what you do, and share that love with everyone!

Edward L Gambone Sr., my Dad, retired in 1983 after working 48 years for the Kroger Corporation. For the next several years, my Mother and Dad traveled the country in a motor home in search of a place to settle down. They fell in love with Sun City Arizona and dropped anchor. Unfortunately within a very short time my mother passed away leaving my Dad in a state of bewilderment. “She was my best friend, I don’t know what I am going to do with myself,” Dad would say repeatedly. For a short time, my Dad went into deep depression.

Then it happened. Dad’s passion came to life. He began telling stories of his business life experiences to any retiree in Sun City that would listen. He became very popular with the poker players and lady friends that cooked for him. A genuine interest in people and what they did was always Dad’s true passion in life. Yes, he worked for Kroger for 48 years, but his real job was so much more. Thousands of people loved Dad because he had a unique gift of celebrating their life experiences as they lived it. And now years later, he was reliving their stories. Dad, with his gifted photographic memory, was able to be so specific in his story telling, he truly amazed his listeners.

So Dad and I developed a great routine. I would meet someone that knew him. (This happened quite often since we were both in the Grocery Business). I would call my Dad, my Dad would tell me a funny story about this person, sometimes dating back 20 to 30 years ago, I would contact the person and relay the story….WOW! They would often say, “I can’t believe he remembered that!” Sometimes they would be so overwhelmed that my Dad, who retired as a District Zone Manager, could even remember who they were… “I was only a part time bagger when I worked for your dad!” But Dad had a gift, and he loved to use that gift until the day he died.

In the last days of his life my Dad did not talk about all the money and success he had, he talked about all the people that shared his life. Dad did what he loved, he loved what he did and he shared that love with everyone.